Our Family Story

A few words come to mind when reflecting on the Leslie family’s path over the last few decades: Global experiences, education, and sports. Growing up with teachers and coaches for parents, it is no surprise that Nate and Boe Leslie have fallen into the world of global travel and youth sport development. Their mother Barbara has taught around the world for 35 years including the past 12 years at International Schools in Bonn, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland. Her dedication to internationalism and education has been a tangible inspiration for her sons. Their father Bob’s career began as a professional player in the WHL, CIAU, IHL, Austria, and a brief but memorable stint with the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL. Following 15 years as a teacher and guidance counsellor in Manitoba, Bob has spent the past 20 years coaching hockey professionally in Europe’s elite leagues.

Bob Leslie studied at Brandon University and the University of Winnipeg where he graduated with a Bachelor of Teaching Degree. Upon completing his education he followed his boyhood dream and played Professional Hockey in Canada, the United States and Europe. After a successful hockey career, Bob returned to North America to take a position as a Special Education Teacher. This was followed by an extensive career as a guidance and career counsellor, during which time he developed a large and successful Career Counselling Centre for both students and adults.

Bob has led many seminar sessions, developed work experience programs, presented WEVAS workshops (Working Effectively with Violent and Aggressive Students) and held leadership positions in many areas of education. He was also a Coaching Course Conductor for the Manitoba Hockey and Baseball Associations. Bob received the Merit Award for dedication to community work and the Coach of the Year Award from the Province of Manitoba that same year. Bob’s reach extends globally due in part to his recent partnership with world renowned leadership speaker Mark McGregor. Bob currently runs leadership training across Europe under his new company, Leslie Global Leadership.

Bob returned to professional ice hockey in 1988-90, then again in 1994 to Europe, as a Coach. He has been in Europe since that time and has worked in Switzerland, Germany, England and Austria as a Coach and General Manager / Sport Director. Bob is currently consulting with a Business Group in Hungary to develop a Hockey Academy and ice hockey facilities there. Bob is an Executive Director of Leslie Global Sports, where along with his sons Boe and Nate, they have created an extensive Coaching Development Program in Canada and the U.S. Bob has been on the coaching staff of Team Canada 9 times in Europe, winning the prestigious Spengler Cup 3 times, as well as the Deutschland Cup twice. He also was a member of the coaching staff 2 times at the World Championships in Switzerland and in Germany.

Bob is a positive, outgoing person whose very diverse background has enabled him to live and work in 6 countries, as well as travel extensively! He has also developed strong German language skills. He has the ability to encourage, challenge and help people to develop their own unique skills in order to find success and happiness. Bob is comfortable, enthusiastic and passionate whether it be in a workshop, classroom, business setting, in the high stress world of professional sports or at a podium during a presentation.

Barbara Leslie

M Ed, 35 years teaching experience

Barbara has been an educator since Nate and Boe were small children, planning lessons, studying innovative teaching strategies and responding to students’ differentiated needs. Barbara received a Master’s Degree in Education, specializing in Reading, while teaching full time. Much of her studying was done in the waiting rooms of hockey arenas while attending Nate’s and Boe’s hockey practices, a fact of life which will be familiar to many mothers. Barbara has taught at every grade level over the past 35 years when you combine her teaching career in Canada and the past 15 years at International Schools in Bonn, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland. Her career in Zurich has focused on Learning Support, where her beliefs in education have been confirmed and strengthened. Students of all ages learn and perform best when they are happy, when they receive positive encouragement, when they are taught to believe in their own strengths and abilities and when they are involved in learning which is made relevant to their personal interests. Barbara’s dedication to internationalism and education has been a tangible inspiration for her sons.

Nate Leslie

Director, Coaching Consultant, Skills Coach, Creator of How to Play Hockey

Nate has a Masters Degree of Education from Madrid, Spain, speaks German, Swiss German, & French, and played 7 years of professional hockey in Europe. Nate is the owner of Leslie Global Sports with brother Boe, the creator of his new member site, How to Play Hockey, and the Director of the West Coast Hockey Prep Camp. Leslie Global Sports runs hockey camps, skill development, and coaching mentorship programs in Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Whistler, Squamish, Victoria, The Richmond Olympic Oval, Baltimore, New York, Washington DC,Queenstown, New Zealand, and Budapest, Hungary. In Vancouver, Nate instructs hockey academies at Earl Marriott, Semiahmoo Britannia, & Sentinel Secondary Schools.After 4 years of Junior hockey Nate played 7 professional seasons in Europe and North America including the Swiss Elite League, British Super League, and the Central Hockey League. Before moving to Vancouver in 2008 Nate spent 4 years in New York City building a hockey program in West Harlem and was the Athletic Director in the prestigious Manhattan boarding school, the Saint Thomas Choir School. Nate’s father Bob coached Team Canada to Deutschland Cup and Spengler Cup gold medals in Switzerland, and has won the Spengler Cup 3 times while coaching professionally for 20 years. Bob now runs Leslie Global Leadership training throughout Europe from his home base in Zurich, Switzerland. His mother Barbara has been a teacher for 35 years and currently teaches middle school at the Zurich International School in Switzerland. Nate’s passion for coaching, teaching, and leadership runs deep.

Boe Leslie

Director, Skills Coach, Author of The Complete Season & Small Area Games

Boe lives in Washington DC where he runs Leslie Global Sports America. He is a former Division 1 College and professional hockey player, who now works full time in youth hockey development world wide. He played NCAA Division 1 hockey for the Union College Skating Dutchmen of the ECAC, while earning an interdepartmental major in German and Economics. During his freshman year, Boe was rewarded for his scholastic achievement as having the highest GPA of all players on the Division 1 College team.

After his time at Union, Boe then advanced to play 8 years of professional hockey in Europe. The majority of his professional career was spent in Switzerland for clubs such as Lausanne Hockey Club and Hockey Club Chur. He also spent part of his career in England where he played for the Sheffield Steelers of the British Super League.

During both the winter months and the off season of his professional years, Boe began to work in youth hockey development. He spent many summers as part of a coaching staff running hockey schools in the north eastern United States. It was during these years working with both college and prep school coaches that Boe began to develop his passion and philosophy on skill development, competition and creative practice and season planning.

When his playing career ended, Boe planned to spend what he thought would be one year away from the game teaching English in both South America and Peru. As fate would have it though, he quickly found a rink in Seoul, Korea and became involved with a youth hockey organization. Since returning from Asia, Boe has been working full time in youth development in North America (United States and Canada), and more recently in New Zealand. More specifically, he runs camps in Baltimore, MD, Brantford, ON, New York, NY, Queens, NY, Queenstown, New Zealand, Victoria, BC, and Washington, DC. In addition to being the Owner and CEO of Leslie Global Sports America, Boe works full time with a youth organization in Baltimore, Maryland. As the Hockey Director of Baltimore Youth Hockey, Boe is in charge of all on ice activities which including player and team development, coach mentorship, practice and season planning.